Pneumatic action for piano-players, &amp;c.



G. P. BRAND.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR PIANO PLAYERS, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.12,191'0. RENEWED DBO. 16,1912. 1,067,969, Patented July 22, 1913.

2 SHEETS SHEET 1.

Q vi Mw 3000 61 New 121,

G. P. BRAND.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR PIANO PLAYERS, (kc.

APPLICATION rum) MAR,12,1910. RENEWED DEO.16.1912.

1,067,969. Patented July 22, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v a v 21 O b 0 6L 5 4 o I o 39 7! J4 j a 7 IVitncaaco Q0 g'wclroz GEORGE P. BRAND, OF NE'W YORK. N. Y.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR PIANO-PLAYERS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented .i ul v 22, 1913.

Application filed March 12, 1910, Serial No. 548,989. Renewed December 16. 1912. Serial No. 737.127.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, (hconun I. Bnaxn, a

primary valve chamber $1 of the p'rimat'v valve chest 10. of an v well-known or approved form of construction. the valves 11 and 12 thereof being the reverse of those ordinaritv employed in the primaries, being arranged inside. instead ot outside. allowing '1 his invention relates to certanrnew and 1 useful improvements in pneumatic actions for piano players. automatic pianos and the like, and it has tor its objects among others features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the at-eompanving drawings. which. wit-h the numerals of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification. and in which Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a part of an actionembodying my invention, portions being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a modi tied form of pneumatic in its separated condition. Fig. 2) is a vertical longitudinal section through another modified form of pneumatic. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan with portions removed and parts in section and broken away. showing a plurality of pneu matirs and a common tension chest.

Like numerals of reference iudiato like parts throughout the ditl'erent views.

Referring to the drawings. 1 designates a power pneumatic. *3 a valve within the same,

3 a small pneumatic arranged outside of the same and in the atmosphere. This pneumatic 21 is indep'eutlen' ot' the tension chest st.

5 is an arm on the pnemnatie 3. through an opening in which passes the rod or pin (3. the other end (it Iti h is Connected with the valvt 2 near one end thereof.

7 is a passage leading from the. matic. it connected by the pipe-8 wit menthe

normally atmospheric pressure within the pneumatic 3.

lhe valve 2 controls the exhaust port 13 and the atmospheric port 1-1. The passage 7 extends to the exhaustport, as seen eleariy in Fig. v1. The valve 2 is leather faced upon its acting tare and in order to permitof the necessary movement of the valve. this leather 1.3 is slit. as at 1.6 and 17, the intermediate portion. that is the portion between aitl slits. being glued or cemented to the stationary heard 18- ot' the power pneumatic. The stationary board or member 18, in the form shown in Fig. 2 which is a modi tieation ot' that shown in Fig. 1 in certain particulars. is designed to have detaclrably secured thereto the frame of the movable member 19 ot' the power pneuinatic. by suitable means. as for instance screws passed through openings 20 in thesaid stationary hoard. thus permitting of ready removal of the removable member 19 to permit access to the \alve when tttt'tss'ttl') for repairs or other purposes. In Fig. t have shown a still ffltt'tlltl form in which the board ill, t'orming the top of the tension chest 2;. is provided with an opening '3 coincident with an opening it in the board 2.). ()u this board 25 is mounted the valve 2: the leather facing ii of which is slit. as at in. the intermediate portion 2'. being glued or other wise atlixed to the board 3 as seen clearly in said Fig. 2}. do is a spring acting upon this valve to keep itnormally down. so as to close the exhaust port .12 t. To the other end o'l. this valve is attached a pin or the like 31 which extends-through theatnuwpherie port. 3:. .enlarged as at 3;). This pin or rod 31 passes through a diaphragm 3+ and carries upon the opposite side of said diaphragm. the diaphragm button or abutment 3.). 31' is the diaphragm chamber from which leads the conduit. or passage 2%? in the under side of the tension t'hest- 2;. for connection h v a tube or the like 31s with the prin'iarv chest. in a manner similar to the connection of the tube S heretofore described in connection with Fig. 1.

pneumatic, the tension chest at this how they are disposed in series mounted on a tension chest 4 common to all of said pneumatics, by means of the bottom boards 18. These project at one end beyond the edges, as seen at 39, for the application of the securing screws by which the removable portions 19 of the pneumatics are secured in place. The removable portion 19 comprises the fixed frame 40, as seen best in Fig. 4, where the bottom board is shown removed and the tension chest broken away, the openings 41 for the reception of the screws which secure the same to the bottom board 18 being there shdwn.

Fig. 4 shows at the top a bottom plan of the construction seen in Fig. 2 with the parts in position; the next lower showing illustrates the tension chest broken away, disclosing the exhaust port 13, the smaller pneumatic 3 .being removed, showing the opening 7 and the atmospheric port 14. In the bottom showing of said figure, all of the parts are removed but the frame of the partbeing broken away.

42 is a tube connecting the tracker 43 with the primary chest 10. 44 is the music sheet, 45 the music roll and 46 the take-up roll, these parts being arranged in the ordinary manner, the music sheet passing over the acting face 47 of the tracker'bar, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

48 is the sticker, 49 the shoe, 50 the piano key lever, and 51 its fulcrum.

52 is a lever fulcrumed at 53 having one end 54 designed for contact with the under face of the shoe 49, the other end, of this lever bearing against the abutment 55 on the rod 56, the other end of which is connected with the movable board of the pneumatic.

57 is the exhaust chest for the bleeds 58.

59 and 60 are the diaphragm chambers, the latter having communication with the exhaust chest 61, 62 being the diaphragm.

63 and 64 are the stems carrying the .valves 11 and 12 respectively, as seen-in the upper portion of Fig. 1. 66 and 67 are abutments carried by these stems and resting against the diaphragms. These stems work through ports 68 as indicated in Fig. 1. These stems are guided at the inner end by a partition, as seen in Fig. 1, and at the other end in the outer wall of the valve chest. Intermediate its ends, the stem passes through a bushing or the like 69 held in the port 68, as shown.

71 is the atmospheric port open to the atmosphere and communicating with the chamher 9 in which are arranged the valves 12.

73 is the conductor board extending crosswise of the action and provided with the passages with which the tubes 8 connect, as seenin said Fig. 1, and the passages 74 in said conductor board communicate by the passages 75 (which are alternately connected by chamber 72 with the atmosphere and the exhaust through the action of the valves).

The operation is as follows: When atmosphere is admitted to the tracker bar in port 78 which communicates with theatmosphere through the passage 71, opening the exhaust port, putting the pneumatic 3 in communication with the exhaust through the passage 74 and connections above described. This closes the port 14 in the pneumatic 1, putting said pneumatic in communication with the tension chest 4, through the exhaust port 13, thereby collapsing the pneumatic and operating the parts used to sound the note. When the tracker bar is closed by the note sheet, the air is exhausted from the tubes 42 and passages 76, by the bleeds 58, thereby returning the valves and otherparts to their normal position.

The action above described dispenses with valve seats for the valve in the power pneumatics, the valve being made of rigid material and faced with leather seating directly on the face of the board in which the ports are formed, both ports being on the same plane. The valve-being rigid, there is not the loss of motion that is present where yielding valves are employed, and furthermore there is less noise than where rediproeating valves are employed, my valve seating itself more quietly.

Modifications in details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the in- .vention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What is claimed as new 1s;'

I 1. In a pneumatic action, a power pneumatlc, a plurality of ports therefor one of which is open to the atmosphere, a plurality of valve seats, simultaneously operated rocking valves therefor, a tension chest, said pneumatic being in communication therewith through one of said ports, a pneumatic outside said power pneumatic and independent of the ,tension chest for actuating one of said valves, a valve chest and means therein allowing normally atmospheric pressure within the last-named pneumatic.

2. In a pneumatic action, a rocking valve, :1, fixed support, a 'leather facing thereon with the portion near the center of the valve afiixed to said fixed support forming a fulcrum and slit adjacent-said center portion upon opposite sides of its afiixed portion, a

pneumatic having ports controlled by said valve, and means acting upon opposite ends of the valve.

3. In a pneumatic action, a pneumatic, a rocking valve within the same, a leather facing theredn with the portion near the center attached to a fixed member of said pneuinatic forming a fulcrum, said leather facmeans acting upon opposite ends of said valve.

5. In a pneumatic action, a tension chest, a plurality of valve boards secured thereto with a plurality of valve seats and ports, one of said ports being connected with the tension chest and another open to the atmosphere, a pneumatic on said chest for each valve board and a valve Within said pneumaticcomn'ion to said seats and ports, said valve being rockingly mounted between its ends between said ports, and, a device outside said pneumatic connected with said valve through the atmospheric port.

(3. In a pneumatic action, a tension chest,

a pneumatic having an atmospheric port, a valve for said port within said pneumatic, and a small pneumatic outside said pneumatic connected with said valve through said atmospheric port and always exposed to the atmosphere,

7. In a pneumatic action, a plurality of power pneumatics, each complete in itself and removable as a unit, a tension chest common to all of said pneumatics, valve seats and ports, and a valve rockingly mounted between its ends for controlling said ports, and means controlled by the exhausted air for returning the valve to its normal position.

8. In a pneumatic action, a power pneumatic, a valve within the same, a tension chest, a pneumatic outside said pneumatic and independent of the tension chest, a valve chest connected with said outside pneumatic, and means in said valve chest allowing normally atmospheric pressure within said outside pneumatic.

Signed by me at Vt ashington, D. (1., this 11th day of March 1910.

GEORGE P. BRAND.

\Vitnesses F. H. Bonn, JonN SCRIVENER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

